Great Escape
by JCxX
Summary: "A permanent solution to a temporary problem." Inspired from P!nk's song, " The Great Escape". I need a better title, review? :) I know this one is rated "T". For a fact. Lol.


**I've been holding onto this idea for the longest time. But I knew that I couldn't bear to bring myself to write what actually happened, so, this is the aftermath but you'll get the picture hopefully. In a lot of my fanfics on here both brothers mention something about Luigi and a certain incident that happened within his life. Sort of going into detail with it here. **

**Enjoy :) **

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_Mario: _

I was driving back from the hospital when I looked to my right to see Luigi leaning against the window asleep. I had a worried look in my eyes as I set a hand on his shoulder. Just yesterday I found myself taking a knife out of his grasp, and I finally woke. My eyes finally opened to how miserable he has been. He repeatedly said "I want to die." and I said, "I won't let that happen." I pulled into our driveway, it had to be at least seven in the evening. I shook Luigi slightly,

"Let's go, little brother, we're home." I really didn't have much energy to keep trying to get him awake so, I carefully slid him out of the car much to my ability. Even though I was shorter than him I could still carry him no problem. He was light too, that was an advantage. I opened the door with my foot and went down the hallway into his room. I carefully slide him onto his bed when he stirred awake slightly. I pulled the covers on him not saying anything, my mind was a bit confused as to what happened hours ago. He moaned slightly and his eyes opened. I sat down next to him,

"What happened?" He says quietly, obviously not aware of his surroundings yet. I swallowed hard trying not to remember the events of the last hours.

"I'll tell you soon, get some rest." I said, ready to fall asleep any moment. He seemed to have remembered something when he jolted a little.

"I'm sorry, Mario." He mutters before drifting off in a slumber. I sat there for a few seconds trying to get rid of a headache. To think that if Daisy hadn't contacted me, he wouldn't be here... I got up and turned off the light and shut the door behind me.

By the time I crawled into my own bed, my body was already weak from sleep deprivation. I had a nightmare that night and found myself startled awake, dripping sweat. Thanks to the one part of my brain that reminded me that Luigi's sound asleep across the hall made me drop my head back on the pillow. I, then, fell into a dreamless sleep.

...

The next morning, around eleven, Luigi stepped out of the dark hallway.

"Hey sleepy head, get a good sleep?" I asked, looking up from my coffee and newspaper. He didn't say anything but only nodded and groaned. Luigi sat down across from me and the scar on his wrist was still visible. I closed my eyes for a second and sighed. I still couldn't bring myself to understand why he would do such a thing? If mom or dad were here, things may have been different. I had no idea how mom would react to what happened a few days ago. Dad? Probably would be angry, to only cover up the fear. But they weren't here anymore. If Daisy hadn't called me, and Luigi was found dead, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. I got up and went to the counter, I took out a pill from it's container and filled a glass of water. Luigi had gone into the living room, I walked into the room to see Luigi curled up in a blanket. It was rather chilly in here, I must say. I made a mental note to turn up the heat.  
"Here, you have to take it. Doc says it will level your emotional and mental state. Also, it will put you to sleep but, that's a good thing." I said, giving it to him. Luigi sat up and took the pill from me, he didn't look at me or say anything, just took it. I guess had to start this conversation now, "Luigi. I really wish you would've told me."

"Sorry." He says, wrapping the blanket around him tighter. I moved closer to him, his blue eyes looked into my own, I only found pain in his.

"You had other options, bro. There's nothing wrong with asking for help and you need it." I felt my throat swell up and it suddenly became hard to swallow. I was afraid I was going to start crying. But Luigi was already tearing up. "Why? All I want to know is why?" I, too, was confused to why he would consider this. Luigi shrugged,

"I don't know, it was just the events that were happening."

"So, suicide was the answer?" I asked, holding in my own tears. Luigi was already crying, I pulled him into a tight hug, "Please, tell me next time, Weegie. You had me scared to death."

"I know. I'm sorry." He says weakly into my shoulder. I felt a tear slip down my cheek and I wiped it away quickly.

"Luigi, do you realize that's a permanent solution to a temporary problem?" I hugged him even tighter, he shrugged again. He started to cry a little harder, but boy did he scare me, " I love you a lot, bro... Don't try this again." I'm not one who gets easily scared but this almost made me jump out of my skin. I've never been so scared or worried before, maybe even nervous in my life. I hugged him for the longest time, then I finally said, "You're not using the internet for a week, I hope you know." He gave a gruff laugh, I felt my shoulder become wet, he was crying pretty hard by the time I pulled away. I got up to go reheat my coffee when he asked,

"Mario? You're not mad are you?" I turned back and shook my head,

"Why would I be mad? I'm just a little disappointed, I really wish you would've told me. But, no, I'm not mad."

"Well, I assumed you were because you seemed hacked off this whole week."

"Yeah, but not at you." I gave a small smile, he still looked as if he's waiting for a lecture. "Bro, I'm not mad." I repeated. He nodded slowly and went back to watching Spongebob. I honestly was not mad at him but, something in his eyes suggested I am. I went back into the kitchen to reheat my coffee but judging by what went down a few minutes ago, he seemed absent to anything I said. I decided to let his emotions stabilize before I talked to him about anything else.

That night Luigi had went to bed early. I crawled into my bed but he had came in and asked me to crash with him tonight. I asked him if he was afraid or something but, he only shrugged. It was sometime at night when Luigi asked if I was awake,

"Yeah." I said,

"Do I have to got to the tournament tomorrow?"

"Not if you don't want to, bro...You cold?"

"A little." He says, I draped my arm over him as he layed on his side.

"If you keep your trap shut up, I'll tell you somethin'." I took my arm off of him as he turned around.

"What?" He asks, I smiled a little.

"I think I'm going to marry Peach, I'll probably wait until you're done with college, though." I turned the other way as Luigi shook my shoulder.

"Mario, you really like Peach, don't you? What's it like?" I smiled a little and chuckled,

"It's real nice...Oh, one more thing, bro, keep what happened this week on the down low. I don't really want anyone to know. It's just a family issue. Got it?"

"Yeah, but, what about Peach?" He asks, "She's pretty much family, she'd be the last to know if Daisy doesn't tell her."

"I've been thinking about that, too, I'll figure out something." I knew she would get suspicious. I also know I can't keep it from her forever. She'd eventually find out. But Peach would worry, and I don't need her to.

_Next day... _

When the game finally started, I noticed Luigi wasn't here. I went back into the locker rooms and there I found him sitting on a bench, rubbing his forehead.

"Hey, so this is where you've been, you okay?" I asked, sitting down next to him.

"Yeah, I'll be out in a little while." He was still rubbing his head.

"What's wrong?" I said,

"Nothing, I'm okay. I'm just a little tired, and a bit confused." I wrapped my arm around his shoulder and let him lean on my shoulder as I said,

"Sleep is catching up on you, uh? Well, it's the pills, they're starting to wear off. Just give it some time, Weegie. You wanna go home and get some sleep?"

"No, I'm okay. Just give me a few moments." Luigi says, his voice muffled by my shirt. I rubbed his arm and took my arm away. I heard the whistle blow; time for the next game.

"Well, you're playing. Want me to sub in for ya?" I ask, as he nodded slightly, "Okay." I walked back out when Daisy grabbed my arm. She had a worried expression on her face,

"How is he?" Her voice was weak, she was the one who called me, who tried to comfort Luigi before I got home.

"Confused and tired." I said, looking at the field to my right, crossing my arms.

"I figured, you've been really protective over him this week. Can I talk to him?" She asks,

"You can try but keep it on the down low. He's really out of it still." I said, "I'm subbing in for him." The whistle blew again and I ran out. The guy on the PDA said something about me filling in for Luigi. By the time the tournament was finally over and my team and I were taking off our equipment, Luigi had fallen asleep on the bench. I walked over to him and ruffled his hair, "Hey bud, get up." Daisy popped her head in after the rest of my team went home.

"He's not waking up I see." She says walking in, she kicked the foot of the bench and he jumped a little while sitting up. The only thing I didn't think of...

I took Daisy home and as I left I noticed Luigi drifted off again. I shook him slightly and pulled in the driveway. I shook him again,

"C'mon, wake up." A total replay of what happened last night. He opened his eyes a little and moaned. I helped him out of the car as he leaned against my shoulder and once we got in the house, he plopped himself on the couch. I rolled my eyes and went into my own room to relax for the night. I picked up the nearest book and began to read it. I still had a hard time believing that Luigi was that depressed. I knew he was upset but not _that _upset. I had a dream that night that Luigi died but, the dream ended there. I layed awake for the rest of the night.

The next morning, Daisy had stopped by to talk to Luigi and when she left, he seemed rather spooked. I had told him he had to see Doc today. This was followed by a groan of disappointment from him. I shook my head and said,

"You have to."

"Why?" He questioned,

"Don't give me that, bro, you know why." I said indifferently, while making soup.

"But what's to talk about? I don't want to talk about it anyways."He says, I sighed ans sat down next to him at the table.

"I know but, Doc needs to know what's up."

When we entered his office, he smiled lightly at Luigi.

"Well, how've you been, son?" He says, gesturing us to sit down. Luigi wasn't listening to anything he said. I nudged him with my foot. Luigi jolted slightly,

"He's okay. Been sleeping a lot." I said for Luigi.

"Well, that's normal considering you lost over a week of sleep." Doc says, leaning on his desk. "Luigi? Can you tell me the events of the day?" Okay, now, _this, _I actually wanted to to hear. Luigi shrugged and said,

"My friends bailed on me saying that because I called Jock an ass, he'd come after me. He always does."

"So, you're saying they thought that this is you're fault?" Doc sighs, I didn't think that they would blame him for everything they said. Luigi nodded, "Well then, maybe they're not your real friends. There are people out there in the world, find them." There was an awkward silence then Doc spoke again, "I hear your folks are no longer around, that or anything can push someone to their limit." That never occurred to me, what if Luigi is still upset about mom and dad's death? "Do you think that's one of the reasons, Luigi? Do you miss your parents at all?" He says, Luigi cracked his knuckles, making me flinch. Luigi only shrugged, I knew he'd have a hard time answering that. I knew he did miss them, but, he would never admit it. Luigi's just stubborn like that. When they died, he was only 18 and I was 20. I had to grow up faster than he did, I didn't get the chance to go to college because I had to stay and take care of him and the house. In the Mushroom Kingdom, if you're 18 or under, you're technically still a minor. So, he couldn't pay the bills or help with other taxes etc., He could only work. But even then I always thought he was too young for the burden he carried. Also, because of their death, we don't really get any spare time anymore. I mean, we do during the holidays but, even then the sales on games **(referring to Mario series)**, skyrocket. Especially around Christmas. That's when I work the most, I almost never take a breather. I really don't mind it but it can be frustrating. Luigi works at a local gas station to help pay the bills, he has done so since he was 18. Now, I'm 23 and he's 20. Just the age I guess, I have to keep him out of trouble more so now then when he was younger. Why? The court will separate us. I seriously cannot afford to loose another family member. I'll break. Luigi looked down at the ground possibly wondering if we could leave yet.

"I don't know." He muttered finally,

"Okay, what else happened that day?" Doc tries,

"I can't remember." Luigi's nose scrunched up a little as he looked out the window. Doc tapped his pen on the desk and looked at me with a questioning look.

"Mario, has he been taking those pills I gave him?" He asks, I nodded as he got up to look in a file cabinet. He shuffled around in it for a few seconds and then pulled out a manila folder with Luigi's name printed on it in the top corner; his medical records. "I don't want him taking those anymore, he seems okay for now." We both got up and headed for the door as Doc smiled at us as we left. "Oh, Mario, c'mere a second," He says, as I walked back into the room while Luigi waited in the door way. "I want you to call me if he starts getting worked up again or if he starts talking about harming himself again. Make sure he's getting a lot of rest, he'll need it. You're a good brother, Mario. Keep it that way." Doc gave one last smile and I walked back to the door where Luigi was waiting. We both walked down the corridors of the doctor's office and went into the parking lot where my car was. I didn't really expect much conversation to come on this ride home, but Luigi spoke first,

"Have you figured out what to tell Peach yet?" That hadn't crossed my mind until he brought it up. I had no idea what to say to her, how do you tell your girlfriend that your brother almost died on Thursday? I guess that's something I'll figure out the hard way...I glared over at him and then put my eyes back on the road,

"No." Was all I said. I turned into the driveway and parked the car. Luigi got out but I stayed behind. _How do you tell your girlfriend about your brother attempt at dying? _I thought absently. I got out of the car and went into the and kicked my shoes off. I noticed Luigi setting up the Wii as I closed the door behind me, "Going to play some Mario Kart?" I asked, he nodded and muttered something that sounded like a "Yes". But before I got to the kitchen, the doorbell rang; I almost forgot about the walk I supposed to go on with Peach! I opened the door to find Peach there,

"Hi, Mario! Are you ready to go?" She smiles warmly, I nodded as I slid my shoes on again,

"Yeah, let me tell Luigi." I said turning my head,

"He can come if he wants, I don't mind." She says, looking the other way.

"Hey, Luigi?" I ask, looking at him, he turned his head towards me,

"What?" He says,

"You wanna come with me and Peach on a walk?"

"Eh, not really." He says, getting up and walking over to me.

"Well, I really think you should go to get some fresh air. Besides, the outing will do you good." I bit the inside of my cheek,

"I don't want to go." He argues,

"Luigi. I don't feel comfortable leaving you here by yourself." I say under my breath, hoping Peach wouldn't question me.

"Mario, I'll be fine. It's not like I'll do anything else but play the Wii." Luigi said snidely. I really am not in the mood to argue, Luigi...

"Luigi, now, you don't have a choice. You're coming, get your shoes on."

"But-

"Now." I say loudly as he went to get his shoes on. I turned my attention back to Peach, who waited patiently for me. I smiled at her, "Sorry about the wait, Princess."

"Not a problem, so, how does a walk through the town sound?" She offers,

"Sounds good to me, now, we're just waiting on Luigi." I say walking down the porch stairs with her. Luigi came out and closed the door and caught up with us as we began to walk.

We were walking for a good few minutes until we stopped suddenly to see a commotion near a few houses to our left. I looked at Peach and back at Luigi, who slowly walked in front of us with a look of fear in his eyes. I tapped him on the arm,

"What's wrong?" I ask, he was tense as he walked towards the houses. As we followed him we noticed smoke coming out of one of the houses. There was an ambulance to the far right and people all around it. Near the ambulance were a couple who were crying and hugging. This couldn't be good... Luigi slowly went over to the couple as Peach asked,

"Luigi? What are you doing?" I knew exactly what he was doing and who the couple was; Socko's parents. Socko is Luigi's best friend, Luigi later told me he was the only one who didn't leave him or blame him. The two of them have known each other since third grade, I heard Socko's dad look at Luigi and explained what happened. I saw the color from Luigi's face fade instantly, he went white as an apparition and he brought Socko's parents into a long hug. Peach and I walked over to see what had happened. I tapped Luigi on the shoulder as he looked down at me slightly with a single tear streaming down his face. He had absolute fear in his eyes, he was completely upset now. He was in agony, I could tell.

"Luigi? What's going on?" Peach asks nervously. Sympathy filled her blue eyes, she set a hand on Socko's mother's shoulder and looked at him. We all waited for his response, he pulled away from Socko's parents,

"Socko's dead," He says with a voice I never heard him use. He looked crushed but his voice was almost flat and dry. I really can't describe the tone he was using. "He was apparently murdered and the person burned the house down. His parents were already out of the house, Socko was trying to fight the person." Luigi's voice never changed tone, but he looked like he was going to sob. My heart sank entirely, I felt so much sympathy for Socko's parents, even Luigi. Peach had tear running down her face, her hand was on her heart. I took her hand and rubbed it gently as I said,

"I'm so sorry, Mr and Mrs. Martinez." I said quietly, they gave an agonizing smile and went back to comforting each other. I then realized just how badly this would effect Luigi. They were so close, almost as close as I was with him. Almost brothers. I now knew Luigi wouldn't be himself ever again. This week was just a terrible for all of us. I rubbed Luigi's back slightly as he shoved his hands in his pockets and looked down at the ground. I saw that single tear drop finally,

"Can I go home?" He asks weakly, he was still really tensed up but I had trust in him that he wouldn't do anything stupid again. I nodded and just as I did he ran straight for the house. I swallowed hard, a lump formed in my throat. Socko was pretty much family. I figured I needed to comfort Luigi so, I apologized one more time and told Peach I'd be at her castle tonight if I could, to talk.

I came home to find Luigi on the porch. Once I took a good look at him, he wasn't crying or anything, he was shaking and breathing heavy. His hands were clenched tight, so was his jaw. So tight that I thought it might shatter, he was so tense. He was trying not to cry, he really was. I walked over to him and set my hand on his shoulder,

"Luigi, are you okay?" I ask softly, looking directly at him.

"I don't know. I just don't know if I can swallow the fact that another person I loved is dead, Mario. I just can't...Three people in two years in too much." I suddenly had a fear creep through me that he might try to attempt suicide again. I, then, got a firm look on my face,

"I'm telling you right now, if you're thinking of-

"No, not that. I just can't let go. Never." Luigi's voice was starting to break, he was shaking really bad; like a leaf. His breathe became even harder, he still looked straight ahead, not even looking at me. I turned him towards me,

"Let go. Luigi, it's just part of life, people come and go. Sadness comes and sadness goes, bro. I want you to let go." I said softer, my hands on his shoulders. That did it. He started crying hard, it was a mix of a sob and a scream. He collapsed onto the floor, he just couldn't swallow it. None of it. I pulled him into me and hugged him tight. He cried into my chest as I tried to keep back my own tears from flowing. I rubbed his back and then the back of his head. He really was torn now, why did everything bad happen to him? I tried to comfort him for the next few minutes, he just continued to sob and sob. He was crying even harder than when I find him in the bathroom the other day. He really was hysterical now. I rocked him back and forth, now not caring that I had started crying too. I wasn't crying hard, tears were just streaming down my face. Silently, I cried. I swear, if he could cry any harder, I thought he might suffocate.

What felt like an hour later, he slowly started to stop shaking and his crying eased up. He started to fall asleep against me, what's funny though is, I didn't move. I had never ever heard him cry like that before, it was such a painfully and emotionally charged sob that I couldn't help but cry myself and have my heart sink even more. I saw Peach slowly walk up the stairs, I put my finger to my lips, she knew what I meant, _he's sleeping_. I carefully got up and carried him inside, his face was red and blotchy, tears stained his face, too. I cautiously slid him on the couch and went into the other room with Peach,

"What's up?" She whispers,

"He just had a serious breakdown, I think mentally too. I have a feeling he won't ever get over this." I shook my head,

"I can figure, I can't picture anything anyone else would be doing but be crying right now." She says sadly,

"I know, I just don't know what else to do. I think I'm going to call Doc tomorrow and ask him if I can give- I stopped for a second, she still didn't know. I sighed and slowly said, "Peach. There's something I've been needing to tell you." She looked at me with wonder, her eyes wide and innocent. "On Thursday, I wasn't home and Luigi was but- Peach interrupted me,

"I know what happened. Daisy told me." She griefs, sighing. I was surprised,

"Peach! I meant to tell you but- I got interrupted again,

"I know, Mario. Don't take it so personally, it wasn't your fault. It's okay. I'm not mad." She smiles sadly, holding the side of my face with one hand. Her lips brushed mine as I said,

"I really thought you would be, I'm sorry." I apologize,

"Mario, there's no need to be sorry, really, it's okay." She says more reassuring. Just the fact that she wasn't mad at me made me feel a lot better, she pulled me into a hug and for the rest of the night, we sat in silence. But, what's nice though is, she never left. A nice little melody came into my mind from a song I once heard,

_"The passion and the pain are gonna keep you alive someday. Gonna keep you alive someday..." _

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**You can bet I was listening to Rue's Farewell again.. Dem feels... Review?  
**

**-Merry Christmas! :) **


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